Leopold König is confident not only that his NetApp-Endura team can get a wild card invitation to the Tour de France, but he is sure he can finish in the top 10 too.

He won a stage and finished 9th overall in Madrid, proving he can stick with the big GC men such as Froome and Nibali.

“I don’t think it will be harder,” he told Cyclingnews, when asked if a repeat performance would be difficult. “I think I can improve on the GC result. I don’t see anything to say that we can’t do it again. I am confident about the top 10.”

He admits that the parcours is not as difficult as the Vuelta’s, but that the opening week of the Tour will be difficult. “I did the Tour of Britain and it’s a special area to race. It will be a really big challenge with the small roads. I am really confident about the long time trial on the second to last day. I think I can have an advantage over the pure climbers, because I have improved a lot in the time trial. It should suit me also.”

He also won the Queen Stage of the Tour of California, on top of Mount Diablo in what was a fantastic season for the Czech rider.

“Last season was my best one. I keep on improving, not only physically but mentally. A race like the Vuelta gives me a lot of confidence. I gained a lot of experience, about how to handle situations when you are not at your best or you are sick. The whole year was a real benefit to me and I just want to continue on my learning process.”